Research
Excellence with purpose: Our expert academics, teamed with the next generation of scientific leaders, produce some of the world’s best fundamental and applied chemistry.*
Established ground-breakers and highly talented early-career researchers unite to deliver internationally excellent and world-class research across chemical science. Through close collaboration with the wider STEM community, our fundamental chemistry challenges the frontiers of knowledge for tomorrow. Impactful research tackles the issues of today. Ambitious entrepreneurism and effective routes to real-world application ensures benefits to academia, industry, and society. Coupled with ongoing investment into state-of-the art facilities and infrastructure, we sit firmly at the forefront of science in the UK and beyond, both now and in the future as we grow to meet the rising demands for flexible, world-class research.
Our research themes
Chemical, Structural and Synthetic Biology

Developing highly interdisciplinary molecular and analytical approaches to understanding and exploiting biological systems for drug discovery, food security, sustainable chemicals and industrial biotechnology.
Latest news
Production Polysaccharides at the Cell Surface
GibsonGroup COVID-19 work in Medical School Council Report
Materials and Polymers

From solid-state inorganic materials to soft matter, real-world applications span catalysis, photovoltaics, ferroelectrics, petroadditives for cleaner fuel, personal care and medicine.
Latest news
Prof Matt Gibson to attend senior UK COVID event
€150,000 grant for nanomedicine research
Prof. Gibson on 'antifreeze-fish' inspired ERC research
Measurement and Modelling
Original experimental measurements, theory and simulations underpin advances in electrochemistry, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, surface analysis and computational chemistry.
Latest news
Lindau Nobel 2022 Success for Dr Julia Westermayr
Production Polysaccharides at the Cell Surface
Pint of Science: Medicines of the Future
Synthesis and Catalysis
Innovative molecular design and advanced synthetic methodology reinforces multi-disciplinary research addressing grand challenges around energy, health and materials.
Latest news
PhD student Festus Slade wins communication prize
Single-Cell Chemistry of Photoactivatable Pt Complexes
New Insights into Magnetoresistance
Further information
Featured Publications
An interdisciplinary team of researchers has identified the regulatory network that controls zinc accumulation in the open ocean cyanobacterium Synechococcus. Read in Nature Chemical BiologyLink opens in a new window
*Accoring to THE anaylsis of REF 2021, we are ranked 9th for Research Power amongst UK Chemistry Departments and all of our assessed reserach outputs and impact case studies are world-leading or internationally excellent.